Pokémon Mystery Dungeon - The Demon Comet
by Ryu Taylor the Ferret
Summary: Part Two of the Hope and Faith saga. A mysterious event befalls the world of Pokémon, causing all sorts of trouble everywhere. Pelame the Eevee and Pugno the Riolu of Team Space-Time are again tasked with keeping peace in the world, but their work is cut out for them. And even if they are able to discover what the mysterious "Alpha Bloodline" is, will that be enough?
1. Chapter 1 - Blessing Under Control

**A/N: If you're wondering about the publication date, I had originally posted a preview of this story on that date (8/4/2013). The story's actual premiere date is 10/15/2013. With that out of the way, welcome to part two of the Hope and Faith saga!**

* * *

Chapter 1 – Blessing Under Control

* * *

No one knew where she had gained the dark power she holds. She once had an older sibling, but it was unknown what her cause of death was. Her dark power had the look of evil to it, but she had it under control, and used it for the good of the world of Pokémon. She stopped thinking about where she could have obtained it, since every prior effort at that was absolutely futile.

She focused her power to unleash a blast of darkness from her claws at the Outlaw she had dispatched herself to apprehend. Though the Hariyama she was fighting had a twofold type advantage over her, the mysterious dark power of hers had him defeated instantly. No one knew why it seemed to be super effective against anything standing in her way, but only Outlaws had to fear that as she was one who vowed to never misuse her power. That was an oath she swore to herself ever since she did exactly that to a dear friend of hers. Though she didn't know why she committed that act, it was poignant enough to keep her true to her own word.

* * *

The best part of her day was spending time with her friends Pelame the Eevee and Pugno the human-turned-Riolu. Her late sister had once joined them some time ago, to her chagrin. After coming to her senses after a journey of self-discovery, she had become a valuable asset to Pelame and Pugno's Exploration Team known as Team Space-Time. Like her older sister, she was a Sneasel. On the day she had officially joined the Team, she elected to go by the name "Blessing." She didn't remember why she chose that name, but she liked the sound of it.

Whether it was exploring with her friends, or returning home to them after a solo mission, she was always happy to be with the Team. And she was happy to train at the world-renowned Wigglytuff Guild. Her life had turned for the better ever since that day one year ago, and she prospered for it.

At the Guild, she had her own crew room all to herself. The room once belonged to the two founders of Team Space-Time. Their graduation from the Guild and residential transferal to the nearby Sharpedo Bluff left that room open for her to use. After a hard day's work, she had no trouble drifting off to sleep.

* * *

On the other hand, Pelame was sleeping peacefully at Sharpedo Bluff, but not without having a strange dream that confused her to no end. This wouldn't be the first time, however. She could swear that she had heard the figure speak before. She had heard it at the peak of Destiny Tower. Though it had been a little more than a year since she and Pugno had reached the top of the tower and earned a Space Globe as their prize, the familiarity of the voice speaking to her hadn't disappeared. She knew Arceus's voice unmistakably. Before he could reveal anything important to her, something would cause the dream to end at that moment, and leave her sleeping normally. She wished there was something she could do to help him get his message across to her. Of course, being fully asleep hindered her.

* * *

"AND THREE!" shouted the Guild crew, filling the Guild's second subfloor with the sound of their morning cheer. "SMILES GO FOR MILES!"

Chatot had lots to do as the right-hand Pokémon to the Guildmaster. Initiating and leading the cheers was one such duty, which he always excelled at. "Okay, everyone!" he announced. "Time to get to work!"

"HOORAY!" responded the Guild crew. That served as the cue to dispatch the crew to their daily tasks.

"Blessing, may I see you for a moment?" Chatot called. Blessing obliged.

"About that strange power of yours…have you figured out where it came from? I know that's what you've been trying to do, and I don't want you to fail at that. But there's something concerning me about it."

"What would that be?" Blessing asked in response. "If you're afraid I'm going to misuse it, don't be. I intend to keep the promise I made to Pelame and Pugno."

"I know that. I'd never think you would break your word. It's a different concern entirely. You see, those Outlaws you've apprehended using that power of yours; as you know, you've captured quite a lot of them, even that Mismagius that eluded the law for months. Outlaws have disappeared from the correctional facility Officer Magnezone takes them to. The ones who have disappeared are the ones you've captured with your special power. I have no idea why or how, but that's the case anyway."

"I see," Blessing said, surprised. "Is there anything else?"

"Nothing else," Chatot said, resuming his usual chipper mood. "Now, it's time for you to get to work now! There's lots to do today!"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Upstairs, the Guild's first basement housed the two bulletin boards where jobs were posted. Blessing took a look at the board on the left.

_"Maybe I should stay away from Outlaws for a while," _Blessing thought. _"For _their_ own good."_

Blessing took down a note requesting a missing Chimchar to be retrieved from the Beach Cave.

"Taking' it easy, are you?" Loudred said. "Too TIRED of Outlaws for a while?"

"Not really," Blessing responded. "As if giving away a White Gummi to a hungry Cleffa is a hard job itself. It'll probably be hard for _you_, though." Blessing pointed at Loudred's stomach.

"Oh, you LITTLE…" Loudred started, just as Blessing tossed a White Gummi into Loudred's gaping mouth.

"There. Now you can do your job on a full stomach." With that, Blessing left the guild.

"HOW can that girl be so kind YET so annoying at the same time?!"

* * *

"I keep telling you, I don't know what in the world you're talking about!"

"In that case," growled a Skuntank to a scared Chimchar. "You'd better dig really deep into your noodle, or else."

"That's right," said a Koffing who was flanking Skuntank. "Otherwise, you'll be taking the wettest nap of your life."

"If it comes to that," said a Zubat who flanked Skuntank's other side. "Then I hope you can live without air for the rest of your life."

"But I can't swim as well as a Water Pokémon can! I can hardly swim at all!" cried the terrified Chimchar.

"Pity that," Skuntank responded. "We'll let you stay dry if you tell us what we want to know. And all we want to know from you is how to snuff out the Alpha Bloodline! So hurry up and spill the beans if you don't want to start breathing water!"

"How should I know something like that?! I don't even know what this 'Alpha Bloodline' is! Please, just let me go! I don't know anything! Honest!"

The young Chimchar was panicking, knowing that he was seconds away from being shoved into the Beach Cave's tide pool. He couldn't escape from the cavern, being tied by the feet to a heavy boulder by Evil Threads. He couldn't burn the thread away with his Ember attack, as it was fireproof. His struggling against it only tightened its grip on him.

"In that case," Skuntank said menacingly as he advanced on the poor boy. "Hold your breath."

Skuntank shoved the boulder into the tide pool behind Chimchar, sinking it instantly. It took the young Chimchar with it to the bottom. With their assignment done, the three Pokémon of the roughneck Team Skull left the cave.

At the bottom of the pool, the young Chimchar was struggling desperately in vain to free himself from the boulder. Even though he knew that would just cause the thread to tighten, he was completely panicking and forgot that detail. The thread kept him just a foot and a half below the surface when he swam straight up. If he were only an Infernape, he'd be tall enough to reach the surface. Alas, he was only a Chimchar, and that last pesky eighteen inches were all that was separating him from air. At the bleakest moment, he didn't know how, but he had suddenly been freed. Something took hold of him and brought him to the surface and then to safe ground. He had never been so relieved to be able to breathe again.

"Thank you…so much," he gasped. "You saved my life."

"Take it easy, little one," the rescuer said. The rescuer turned out to be Blessing. "Don't worry about those bullies. They're gone. And I should get you home."

Blessing opened a Dimensional Hole leading to the Volcanic Island to the northwest, knowing that to be this boy's home.

"Hey," Chimchar said, thoroughly impressed. "How did you do that?"

"It's one of my abnormal abilities. I don't know where I got this power, but I saw those bully Pokémon using the same power. But I use it responsibly, for the good of the world. Such as when I rescued you from drowning just now."

"Cool! And thanks again!" He ran up to Blessing and gave her a tight hug. "I owe my entire life to you. I promise, someday, I'll repay you somehow." He then released Blessing and entered the Hole that led to his home. Blessing shut it as soon as he made it through.

"Take care, kiddo."

* * *

"So those stinkers are up to no good again," Chatot said as a response to Blessing's report on the mission she finished. He paced back and forth between the Guild's bulletin boards. "And it appears they have the same strange power as you do. But they misuse it, unlike you."

"They were asking that Chimchar boy about something called the 'Alpha Bloodline,'" Blessing added. "I don't know what that is, but it sounds important."

"I agree. I think we need to speak to Pelame and Pugno about this. Inform Grovyle and his crew from the future about this, too. If there's anyone who can get to the bottom of this mystery, it's all of them."

* * *

Elsewhere in the world, Team Skull gave their report to a mysterious supervisor.

"He knew nothing about the Alpha Bloodline," Skuntank started. "But he's out of the way now."

"He can't mess with us anymore," Zubat added. "We've made sure of that."

"Since that boy is asleep at the bottom of a tide pool with water in his lungs," Koffing added. "We only have to worry about Team Space-Time and those interlopers from the future."

The Pokémon hearing the report got up to address his minions.

"My mistake," he said. "Clearly I shouldn't have sent thugs to do a Pokémon's job. Though I'm happy to hear that a perfectly innocent Pokémon will be no more trouble to us, there's still the matter at hand…"

Team Skull cowered in fear of the incoming punishment.

"…Unless I can eradicate the Alpha Bloodline immediately, my goal will never be achieved. And you three were of no help in getting me closer to it! Therefore, you will be punished by my Disable attack. Team AWD will be picking up your slack while you three are serving your punishment."

He turned to Team AWD and addressed them.

"You know what you must do. And do not fail me!"

Without another word, Team AWD vanished, leaving Team Skull to their fate. Once Team Skull was properly paralyzed and left there with a starving sensation, the mysterious Pokémon looked out the window of the castle he was occupying.

"Team Space-Time," he seethed. "This time, you will fall to me. And with you, the rest of the world will fall to darkness. Mark my words, the darkness will triumph over all!"


	2. Chapter 2 - Explorers' Holiday

**A/N: For this chapter, I decided to try out Greensonic21's soundtrack idea, which explains the track list at the end of the chapter. Let's see how that goes. And also, check Greensonic21's stories out. They're worth a read. Anyway, let's get on with it.**

* * *

_In Team Space-Time's last adventure, Blessing undertook a rescue mission. During the mission to rescue a young Chimchar, she had heard the term "Alpha Bloodline" being used by Chimchar's abductors. The term sounded important, and it was decided that Pelame and Pugno, as well as Grovyle's crew, was to be notified immediately._

* * *

Chapter 2 – Explorers' Holiday

* * *

**"Pelame…"**

**The voice of Arceus was making another attempt to give Pelame his message.**

**"...Blessing…Demon…Dark…Comet…"**

* * *

The message of her dream had once again remained on square one. Pelame pushed it out of her thoughts as she woke up.

"Good morning, Pugno!" she greeted as cheerfully as she could to Pugno, who just got up. "Ready to make this another great day?"

"Pelame," Pugno responded. "I was born ready. Let's do our best today!"

"You got it!" The two left Sharpedo Bluff on that excited note.

* * *

"Got it all ready, Blessing?" Loudred asked, having just finished filling a bucket full of Perfect Apple juice.

"Yep," Blessing answered, setting everything up for a special event to be taking place that night. "Chatot is going to be the town's laughingstock for months! I love Explorer Holidays!"

"Gotta admit, this is a GREAT way to spend an Explorers' Holiday!" Suddenly, Loudred dropped his excited look and exchanged it for a confused expression. "So…how does this all work again?"

Blessing shook her head in annoyance at this question she knew was coming. "For someone who talks as much as you do, you sure do a lot of not-listening. I'm going over it just once more: first, Chatot goes onto the stage to give his congratulatory speech to Treasure Town's Explorers. Then, he leaves the stage. After that, everyone else gets their turn to speak. And finally, we dump the Perfect Apple juice on him as everyone takes their bow. He'll be soaking in the stuff, and he'll remain humiliated like that all through Happy Hour."

"Uh, Blessing…" Loudred gave a deadpan look at Blessing. "The Guild doesn't HAVE a café."

"Uh, Loudred…" Blessing gave an equally deadpan look back to Loudred. "We're not in the Guild right now, and it's happening tonight, right here in the café. Got it memorized?"

"I do NOW."

"Yeah, sure."

With their work done, Blessing and Loudred left the Spinda Café, awaiting the right moment of the night. Blessing stepped on a letter on the way to the beach.

"Hey, Loudred. Look at this."

She read the letter aloud.

_"Introducing the Grey Theatre! Grand opening is tomorrow night! For one night only, see the Ditto Troupe in 'Team Space-Time – The Explorers of the Sky Beyond Time and Darkness!' Playing at the Grey Theatre tomorrow! Don't miss it!"_

On the back of the letter was a map to the theatre, which was apparently located north of Fogbound Lake.

"WAIT A SEC!" Loudred suddenly shouted angrily. "HOW MUCH IS THE ADMISSION PRICE?!" He pointed to the section of the letter that revealed the admission price to be 2,000 Poké per Pokémon.

"Heh. Who said we're going to this?"

"WHAT?! IT'S ABOUT TEAM SPACE-TIME! YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEIR ADVENTURES?!"

"I know their adventures already. And so do you. But enough about that; I'm going down to the beach. Wanna come with?"

"No thanks. I gotta meet Sunflora somewhere. She DIDN'T want me to say where."

At that, Blessing giggled. "Loudred and Sunflora, sitting in a tree!"

Loudred knew where this was going.

"K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Loudred turned a very deep beet red out of anger and blushing.

"First comes love! Then comes—"

"Oh, YOU SHUT UP, YOU LITTLE WANNABE MATCHMAKER PIECE OF—"

"Hey, don't talk like that! You don't wanna kiss your date with a filthy mouth, do you?"

"WHY YOU LITTLE—"

Blessing was too fast for Loudred, and she was soon at the beach. Loudred gave up the chase and decided to meet up with Sunflora.

* * *

"Pelame! Pugno!" Blessing said, surprised to see them there at the beach already. "When did you get here?"

"Oh! Good afternoon, Blessing," Pelame said, turning to Blessing's direction. "We got here just about a minute ago."

"We passed by you as you and Loudred were arguing again," Pugno added. "I guess you didn't see us."

"We came here because we got a letter from an old friend of ours."

Pelame read the note she was holding aloud.

_"To Pelame and Pugno,  
I really miss you two. Ever since I became the King of that Undersea Kingdom I found on that solo Exploration I went on three years ago, I just haven't had time to visit. But today, I've finally been able to find a free moment! Meet me at the Treasure Town beach this afternoon if you can! I'll show you my Kingdom!  
-Sincerely, King Manaphy  
P.S.: You can bring some friends with you if you want."_

"Ugh, no way are you saps taking me," Blessing said. "I hate the sea. I mean, I can swim. It's just that I like swimming in warm water or the hot springs. But cold water is a no-go for me."

"But aren't you part Ice-type?" Celebi asked, arriving with Grovyle.

"Oh, of course. _Just_ because I'm part Ice-type, that means I _enjoy_ freezing my butt off. Hey, let's all have Blessing's frozen tail feathers as popsicles! It's summertime, after all! Dig in!" She gestured toward her tail feathers as she turned her back and wiggled her rear at the group.

"Sorry I asked," Celebi said sarcastically.

"And on an entirely different matter, look here." Blessing said. She turned back to face the others and cocked her head to the side and pointed to her neck. "See what I don't have here? I'm pretty sure you're all missing them, too. So, yeah; no gills, no underwater adventure. Too bad."

"Don't worry, little Sneasel! I've got that covered!"

As soon as the familiar voice made its statement, everyone on the beach felt something grow on their necks. The water's reflection revealed them to be gills. And out of the water came Pelame and Pugno's old ward.

"It's been too long, my friends," Manaphy chimed. "How have you been?"

"We've been doing just swell, Your Highness," Pugno answered.

"Oh, none of you need to call me that. I may rule an underwater kingdom, but my friends don't need to be so formal to me."

"Oh, goody," Blessing said. "So, pipsqueak, care to explain why you gave me gills just now? Are you trying to get me to take your tour? Because I'm not going into your subzero home."

"Subzero?" Manaphy asked. "If you don't like the cold, I can fix that for you." Manaphy floated over to Blessing and touched her with a special power. "Come in. The water's great!"

"It better be, darn it all," Blessing curtly responded. To her surprise, the water was a perfectly normal temperature for her. "Well, this is a start. Fine, I'll go. After all, _someone_ needs to keep you all safe."

"Excellent," Pelame said. "Okay, Manaphy. By your lead."

Following Manaphy's lead, Pelame, Pugno, Blessing, Grovyle, and Celebi dove into the ocean.

* * *

Manaphy's power worked perfectly on the five visitors, allowing them to breathe the water as naturally as they breathe oxygen on land. They also found that they were able to swim with much more grace than normal. Even Blessing, who was a rather pathetic swimmer, was moving around easily.

"No fair, Blessing!" Celebi chided. "You're not even swimming! You're just gliding through the water with your Dark Blessing power!"

"Hey, I saved Grovyle and that Chimchar boy from yesterday doing that!" Blessing responded. "Why not reuse this ability?"

"Yeah, okay, you got me there."

"You two didn't have any prior plans, either?" Pelame asked of Grovyle and Celebi.

"No," Grovyle answered. "As soon as we finished setting everything up for tonight, we were free for the day."

"Dusknoir had other plans tonight," Celebi added. "He's back in Treasure Town welcoming the guests for tonight's ceremony, among other self-imposed tasks. I swear, that guy is such a workaholic."

"His work ethic is the only thing he hasn't changed about himself," Pugno said.

"Say, this is the first I've heard of any Dusknoir," Manaphy said. "I take it he's a friend of yours?"

"Actually, he is now," Pelame answered. "But he wasn't always. He used to be an enemy."

"Goodness!" Manaphy said, surprised. "What was he like before?"

Everyone except Blessing filled Manaphy in on the details.

"That's the most interesting story I've ever heard," Manaphy said, absolutely astonished to hear everything about his former benefactors. "A human becoming a Pokémon… I've never seen a human before. What do they look like?"

"They're a little bit tall," Grovyle answered, having been one of the few Pokémon to ever see (let alone know) a human. "And they have hair on their head, but nowhere else on their bodies. Of course, since Pugno wore garments of some kind all the time, I wouldn't know what a human looks like under them."

At that, Pugno's face blushed a very bright pink.

"They're mammalian creatures. They have no Moves of their own, but they've used objects as weapons in combat. I remember Pugno being skilled with a makeshift sword he and I made out of rock."

"Wow," Pelame said. "Pugno, a swordsman? That's really cool! Did you two ever spar to keep up your training?"

"Yes, we did. In-between researching the past, we would spar with each other to stay sharp just in case Dusknoir caught up to us. Pugno lost his rock sword while fighting off a Sableye that had me on the run. We soon made it to the Passage of Time after that happened. I believe you know the rest from that point, Pelame."

"Sparring sounds fun," Blessing said. "We should do that sometime. Of course, there'd be no shame in surrendering once I start mopping Treasure Town with all of you."

"Treasure Town?" asked a local ocean Pokémon who Pelame and Pugno could've sworn they'd met before. He was blue on most of his body, except for his neck which had two white stripes. His head was also white, along with what appeared to be a poofy mustache. There were two giant yellow tusk-like teeth coming from his mouth. He had the general appearance of a walrus. "So that's why two of you looked familiar to me. It's been a while!"

"Everyone," Manaphy addressed. "Meet Walrein. He's my undersea benefactor."

"Pleasure to meet you again, sir," Pelame said, shaking Walrein's fin.

"Has Manaphy been behaving himself?" Pugno asked.

"That, he has," Walrein happily answered. "The Undersea Kingdom has never been happier. Manaphy's crowning came when they needed it most. After losing their previous king to an unknown cause, it was a mess."

"I hope we didn't make it worse when we found Manaphy's egg," Pelame said sadly. "We could very well have prolonged a civil war."

"Oh, no, there's no need for self-pity," Walrein reassured. "Why, you two did a fantastic job raising him. If it weren't for the environmental barrier, you two could've been the perfect benefactors."

"I see," Pugno responded. "How did the Undersea Kingdom come to accept you as their King, Manaphy?"

"As Walrein said," Manaphy answered. "It had a lot to do with opportune timing. But Walrein taught me many things, including the history of my species. I actually come from a royal bloodline of undersea monarchs. It just so happened that every citizen of the Undersea Kingdom knew that, so they immediately bowed to me. And I basically learned my job while on the job."

"Speaking of the Undersea Kingdom, I'd like to ask something about it," Blessing said. "Are we there yet?"

"Actually, yes we are," Manaphy answered. "We arrived just as you got ready to ask. Welcome to the Undersea Kingdom!"

The group arrived in the central square of the kingdom. They could hardly believe how beautiful it was. The architecture was all made out of coral, making use of the giant reef the Kingdom used as a foundation.

"Hey, Pugno! Look at this!" Pelame shouted in the giddiest way she possibly could. Pugno swam over to Pelame to see what she was so excited about. "Don't you wish you could move gracefully like that?"

"If you evolve into a Vaporeon, you could realize that dream, Pelame," Pugno responded.

Pelame was completely mesmerized by the Undersea Kingdom's wonders. The locals were friendly, the sights were works of art to her eyes, and her best friends were with her to see it all. It was evening by the time the tour was finally over.

"The sun's setting now," Manaphy said. "Which means it's time for the best sight of all."

Manaphy led the group to the balcony of the Coral Castle's throne room.

"Whoop-de-doo. It's the reef's drop-off," Blessing said. "Yay for beauty."

"Actually, you're supposed to be looking up," Manaphy said. "You're going to love it."

The group did as told, and they were glad they did. The light of the sunset filtered down onto the Undersea Castle. The reflective shells adorning the castle glittered in the light, lighting up the entire reef. The sight was simply breathtaking.

"Your eyes," Pugno said to Pelame. "They look beautiful in this light."

"So do yours," Pelame responded. She rested her head on his shoulder. "This has been the best Explorers' Holiday ever."

Everyone was fully immersed in the beautiful sight before them for as long as the sunlight shone on the castle. It had been an excellent visit.

* * *

"We'll be seeing you soon, sire," Pugno said.

"I'll look forward to it," Manaphy said. "Today was so much fun! I hope the rest of the Holiday goes well for you!"

Manaphy dove back into the sea. Having no more need for gills since they were back on Treasure Town's shore, the gills lent to Pelame and friends disappeared.

"Gotta admit," Blessing said. "For a trip through the freeze-your-rear-off ocean, that was actually really fun. That sunlight show was the clincher."

"That was the happiest I've seen you in a while, Pelame," Celebi said.

"I just love the ocean, that's all," Pelame said, blushing bright enough for it to be seen through her fur.

"_Love_ the ocean?" Blessing said. "You were _fangirling_ over it!"

"She's right, Pelame," Pugno added. "But at least you weren't complaining about freezing. Right, Blessing?" Pugno shot a smug glance at Blessing.

"Oh, put a sock in it, Pugno!" Blessing retorted. "I happen to like my tail better when it's not frozen, thank you very much!"

At that, everyone had a good laugh. Even Blessing decided to laugh at herself, so as not to put a damper in the giddy moment.

* * *

"PERFECT APPLE JUICE?!" Chatot screamed. "YOU USED THE LARDER'S ENTIRE STOCK OF PERFECT APPLES TO CREATE AN ELABORATE PRANK?!"

"It's NOT all my fault!" Loudred defended. "Blessing gave ME the idea!"

All of the Spinda Café's clientele, consisting of the regulars as well as Treasure Town's populace and local Explorers, gave their undivided attention to the scene unfolding before them.

"Don't even think about blaming a fellow Guild member!" Chatot squawked. "You're going two nights without dinner for this! Two!"

"Why not three? Or four?" Blessing asked, entering the café. "A week might be a suitable punishment for Loudred. How dare he steal all those Perfect Apples and make juice out of them with the intent of serving them as a special drink for tonight's event?!"

Loudred was completely livid. "Why you DOUBLE-CROSSING LITTLE—"

"What a delicious idea, Blessing!" Guildmaster Wigglytuff said. "Perfect Apples are yummy. I've always wanted to taste Perfect Apple Juice."

"To tell you the truth, Guildmaster," Chatot said with the remotest bit of guilt in his voice. "I'd like some, too." He turned to Loudred. "Your punishment is voided."

"Oh, THANKS, Chatot!" Loudred responded gleefully.

"By the way, you five," Chatot addressed Pelame, Pugno, Grovyle, Celebi, and Blessing. "You missed all but the last speaker tonight! Where were you all?"

"Manaphy requested our presence at the beach," Pugno answered. "He wanted to show us the underwater kingdom he recently was crowned the King of."

"Oh, Chatot, you should have seen it," Pelame gushed. "It was breathtaking." Blessing giggled audibly at that statement, momentarily distracting Pelame. "Anyway, it was an amazing sight. All the buildings were made of coral, the castle had reflective shells in it, all the Water Pokémon living there were friendly. But the best part was when the sun set, and the light of the sunset hit the castle, making it sparkle. *sigh* I'd love to go back there again. Fogbound Lake had _nothing_ on that sight."

"I'm telling Uxie on you for that," Blessing taunted.

"Well, I'm glad you all had fun," Chatot said. "Manaphy's a King now, huh? That boy sure came a long way since you two found him as an egg. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must make my speech." Chatot hopped up to center stage.

"Hey Loudred," Blessing said. "How was our prank found out?"

"Dusknoir found it when he and the Sableye double-checked everything," Loudred answered, somehow managing to whisper. "Thanks for saving my hide, by the way. That sure was quick thinking on your part."

"You're welcome," Blessing responded. "Wouldn't be the first time I've had to bail you out. On another note, how did your date go?"

"It fell through. Sunflora had to help decorate this place. She ran by me while I was on my way to the meeting point she told me to go to. I've never heard her say 'sorry' so many times."

"Sorry to hear that. Better luck next time, Casanova."

"OOOOHHHHHH—"

"Quiet, you two!" Pelame said quietly, but sternly.

Chatot took the position to speak to the crowd. "As you all know, our world can be a very dangerous place. Pokémon become violent for inexplicable reasons, natural disasters ravage the land, among other aspects of life. Those Pokémon who can maintain the goodness in their hearts are the Explorers of today, the role models for future generations to do their part in keeping the world as safe as possible. Today is a day to celebrate everyone's hard work, and to show our thanks to their efforts. It's never an easy job, but if it means longer lasting peace, then it's a worthwhile effort. Look, for instance, at all the work done by Team Space-Time. Step forward, please." Pelame and Pugno took center stage. "What was the result of their labors? Why, our world wouldn't even be how it is now without them! With them in the world, and with all Explorers in the world, it is my belief that Pokémon far and wide will continue to prosper. From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you."

The standing ovation Chatot received for his heartfelt speech lasted for minutes on end. It was then time for the town's Explorers to exit the stage.

"Everyone, I have an announcement for you," Spinda said. "Tonight's Happy Hour Special is Perfect Apple Juice! On the house for all Explorers!"

The Pokémon of the café drank the night away. As the Guildmaster hoped, Perfect Apple Juice was pleasure to the taste buds.

* * *

"Boy, am I going to have a hard time waking up tomorrow!" Pugno said in an excited tone as he settled into his bed.

"I know what you mean!" Pelame responded, just as excited, and still tasting Perfect Apple Juice. "I don't even remember when I last had so much fun! Let's at least try to get some sleep, though."

"Good night, Pelame."

"Good night, Pugno."

The two residents of Sharpedo Bluff were somehow able to fall asleep after all.

* * *

Despite all expectations, the residents of Treasure Town were all able to get to sleep. It was then that Team AWD took their chance.

"Got her," Arbok said, carrying an unconscious Blessing in his coils. "They'll have no choice now."

"Excellent," Weavile said. "The leader will certainly be proud of this. Let's get going."

Weavile opened a Dimensional Hole and led her team into it.

* * *

Blessing awakened to find herself tied to what appeared to be a theatre seat. Her mouth was sealed shut with a Rawst Scarf that was remade into a makeshift gag. Her three captors entered the room. Weavile removed the Rawst Scarf from Blessing's mouth.

"I've heard a lot about you, little girl. Now, you're going to tell me everything."

* * *

Suggested Music for this chapter:

Setting Up A Prank – Critter Tripper Fritter! (Final Fantasy V)

Manaphy's Undersea Kingdom – Underwater Exploration (Super Mario Sunshine)

Loudred Gets Yelled At – What's Wrong with Everyone (PMD – Gates to Infinity)

Chatot's Speech – Coin Song (Final Fantasy VI – sschafi's Remastered cover)

Blessing Abducted – Zetsubou (Digimon Adventure OST)


	3. Chapter 3 - The Grey Theatre, Part One

_On Team Space-Time's day off in observance of the Explorers' Holiday, Pelame and her four friends were invited into the ocean by an old friend named Manaphy. They toured his undersea kingdom, and returned in time to hear a heartfelt speech from Chatot about the work of Explorers. After a fun night, Blessing was unexpectedly spirited away while everyone slept. The familiar abductors are clearly up to something._

* * *

Chapter 3 – The Grey Theatre, Part One

* * *

"START TALKING!" Weavile shouted as Blessing dodged her Slash attack. It wasn't easy to maneuver, being tied to an auditorium chair. "QUIT KEEPING ME IN SUSPENSE!"

"Suspense?" Blessing taunted. "You think I'm trying to keep you in suspense? You're cute, despite disgracing the species I'll be evolving into sometime."

Weavile was getting livid. This hostage situation wasn't going as she had planned.

"With all due respect, Boss," Arbok said. "We should have expected some resistance."

"QUIET, you two!" Weavile barked, blasting Arbok and Drapion with a dark shot of some kind. "I _WILL _get this insubordinate little brat to talk!" She turned back to the restrained Blessing. "You hear me?! You will tell me EVERYTHING I'VE BEEN INSTRUCTED TO GET OUT OF YOU!"

"What was that?" Blessing asked. "I think you just made me go deaf from your angry shouting. You're really bad at your job. Whoever put you up to this should fire you on the spot. You're a liability to him or her." She turned to Arbok and Drapion. "Same goes for you two failures."

"Okay, Boss," Drapion said. "Let's just beat it out of her."

Weavile had already gotten in five Faint Attacks on Blessing by the time Drapion suggested his idea. "Way ahead of you," she said. "Help me out. This half-pint will talk if we have to smash her damn teeth into her head!"

"Gimme your best shot, dullards," Blessing taunted. "Against me, you might as well be dishing out False Swipes. I don't need to be untied to take you on."

Before any moves could be made, a door was heard opening.

"You two show the guests backstage," Weavile ordered of Arbok and Drapion. "Leave the brat to me." The two did as told. Instead of attacking, Weavile simply put the Rawst Scarf back over Blessing's mouth. "As you may know," she continued. "We're putting on a show tonight. We didn't appreciate hearing you refuse to come. We heard you as we were on our way out of town after dropping off that flyer."

_"Well, that explains why I stepped on it,"_ Blessing thought. _"Seems like this will be worth checking out after all, if only to foil whatever these simpletons are planning."_

"But with you in our clutches, there's no possible way your friends will say 'no.' They'll come looking for you, but they'll never find you. All they'll find is a grand performance. You, however, will be safely hidden from them. I'd kill you right now, but you've been keeping your mouth shut about what we need to know this whole time."

_"Heh, of course I am,"_ Blessing thought as she laughed through the scarf._ "And I kinda can't help that now with you using this Rawst Scarf as a makeshift gag on me."_

"You won't be laughing once we're all through with this, smart-alleck. And since we've disabled all your moves, including your Dark Blessing powers, you won't slip away from us." Weavile removed the entire seat from the row and took it backstage with Blessing still tied to it. She tied Blessing with another rope and slipped it under the ropes tying her to the chair, keeping her bound when the chair ropes were untied. She then tied her feet to each other and put her into an empty closet, which she then locked and put a prop dresser in front of.

"We'll be back to retrieve you after the show. Try not to die of boredom until then."

* * *

_"To Team Space-Time,  
Tonight at the Grey Theatre, we're putting on a grand show you won't want to miss. Enclosed are free admission passes for you and your friends, as well as a map to the venue. It's a one-night-only performance about you, so don't miss it!_

_Sincerely,  
The Grey Theatre Theatrical Troupe_

_P.S.—"_

"Why's the post-script written in different handwriting?" Pugno asked as Pelame was about to read it out to the Guild.

"Grey Theatre?" Dugtrio asked. "Didn't Blessing read out something having to do with that place?"

"YEAH, she DID," Loudred answered. "Apparently YOU were passing by. Now let Pelame READ the note!" Pelame then continued reading.

_"P.S.: The troupe is requesting your attendance, but we aren't. But it's up to you if you want to say 'no' to a demand. We don't care what happens to your dear friend Blessing, who happens to be in our clutches. If you don't want to enjoy the show, then come to free your friend. The choice is yours, meddlers!"_

"So, a rogue Pokémon abducted one of our own Guild members, did they?!" Chatot squawked. "We're going to that theatre! No one spirits away a trainee and gets away with it!"

"Just a moment," Grovyle said. "This sounds like an elaborate trap to me. I support your decision, but we'll have to keep our eyes peeled for anything suspicious."

"I agree with Grovie," Celebi added. "We don't want to give an edge to brute Pokémon."

"If I didn't know any better," Dusknoir added. "I'd say someone is trying to target Team Space-Time specifically. Since Blessing is a member of Team Space-Time, they must be planning a first strike by using her as the leverage."

"That makes perfect sense," Pugno asked. "It's like when Team Skull baited us to Amp Plains using a Water Float that belonged to Azumarill's sons. We ended up being attacked by a nomadic tribe of Electrike."

"If things go right for them and wrong for us," Pelame added. "We could end up in a situation worse than that moment. I don't know what these rogues are up to, but it has to be something major if they're singling us out."

"It's decided, then," Chatot announced. "We're going to the theatre tonight to rescue Blessing and foil whatever whoever is planning. They won't have their first strike if we have anything to say about it. We'll all go along to ensure extra security for Pelame and Pugno, and increase the odds of success at rescuing Blessing. Pelame, tickets please."

As soon as Pelame got out the tickets, she suddenly became dizzy. Everything went dark until a flash cut through her vision. To her disbelief, she had experienced a Dimensional Scream vision. Everyone was stunned, especially Pugno, Grovyle, Celebi, and Dusknoir.

"Pelame," Celebi started, managing to speak through her amazement. "Since when did you have the Dimensional Scream? I thought only Pugno had that ability!"

"I have no idea," Pelame said, being the most baffled of all about this development.

"Well, what was it you saw?" Pugno asked.

"It didn't make much sense," Pelame answered. "All I saw was a huge dark object of some sort moving really quickly through space. It looked like a comet. I didn't get too good a look at it before the vision ended, but that was what I saw."

"Don't know what can be made of that," Grovyle said. "We'll have to figure it out after we're done at the Grey Theatre." Grovyle took the ticket Pelame was handing him.

Once everyone had their tickets and marked their Wonder Maps according to the note, everything was set. "All right, everyone!" Chatot announced. "Time to mount our rescue mission!"

"HOORAY!"

* * *

"Now remember," Weavile said to the group of Ditto backstage. "This production is about the Pokémon who will be sitting in the front-row seats." She took them to the stage and showed them the seats reserved for Team Space-Time. "Entertain them to distract them from the plan. Understood?"

"Understood, Lady Weavile," the Ditto actor said.

"Hey, genius," Skuntank said, barging into the auditorium. "They're on their way. If you're sure the leader made the right choice stationing you for this job, then everything will be ready by now."

"Everything is," Weavile retorted. "Now get back to your post already." As soon as Skuntank left, Weavile heard a pounding sound coming from backstage. She went to where she had hidden Blessing, finding that the prop dresser had been jostled slightly as a result of Blessing repeatedly kicking the door from inside. She put the drawer back where it was.

"Wearing yourself down already, are you?" she taunted. "Pity you won't be able to see the show. Have a Playbill." She slid a playbill through the crack of the locked door. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do. Don't go anywhere."

_"'Don't go anywhere,' she says,"_ Blessing thought as she shouted muffled obscenities through the scarf gagging her. _"She's a humor thief, too, it seems."_

* * *

"Kinda SMALL for a theatre, isn't it?!" Loudred demanded of the Prinplup working as the theatre's ticket taker. He was clearly underwhelmed by how small the theatre turned out to be upon arriving with the group.

"It's more stage than building, sir," responded Prinplup. "Once you go in, all it is is concession stands, food booths, souvenir vendors, lavatories, and the back door leading to the outdoor stage. The backstage is another building entirely."

"An outdoor show?" Sunflora asked. "Oh my gosh! That's such a nice idea! A play under the stars!"

The group showed their tickets to Prinplup and entered the building. They all picked up playbills from the foyer. Inside the playbill was a map of the theatre and its surrounding areas.

"Prinplup was right," Pugno said. "This place_ is_ huge. We'll have to split the search party up."

"Great idea, Pugno," Pelame responded. "You and I will check all the seats in the front seating area." Pugno nodded in agreement. "Everyone else, where will you be going?"

"Grovyle and Celebi can help me search the entire foyer area," Dusknoir volunteered as Grovyle and Celebi agreed to the idea. "The Sableye can search the areas restricted to the general public."

"We're skilled in stealth, after all," the Sableye captain said. "They won't even know we crossed their lines."

"My son and I will check the VIP balcony seats," Dugtrio said. Diglett supported the notion.

"The Guildmaster and I will comb the upper-level seats," Chatot said. "If that's okay with you, of course, Guildmaster."

"Certainly," Guildmaster Wigglytuff responded. "I just hope we don't have to end up sitting there. Those seats are no fun at all."

"Well, there's a reason those seats are called the 'nosebleed section,'" Loudred said. "That said, Sunflora and I will check the backstage area."

"Oh my gosh!" Sunflora squeaked. "We can't go there! We'll get caught for sure!"

"Heh, let them TRY," Loudred boasted. "Besides, we'll be in and out of there in a FLASH!"

"The stage itself will be searched by Croagunk, Bidoof, and myself," Chimecho offered.

"I guess that leaves me to check the back seating area," Corphish said. "Hey! Hey! We can get to searching now, right?"

"Right," Pelame answered. "Meet back here when the play is about to start. While the play is on, the security could likely strengthen to a level that can overwhelm us, so this is our best chance. If we don't find Blessing now, we resume the search during the intermission, when security is sure to loosen up to give the actors and staff their breaks. Fail then, then we search again in the intermission after that. With three intermissions, we have a total of five chances to locate her. The first four chances being our safest: now, and the three intermissions."

"Then what's the fifth chance?" Chimecho asked.

"The fifth chance is after the play is over," Pelame answered. "That is when we'll just have to go for broke and risk taking on whoever came up with this plan, whatever it is. Hopefully, we'll find her before then."

"Sounds doable," Celebi said.

"All right. Let's go find Blessing!"

"HOOR—" Chatot suddenly hushed everyone. By his wing gestures, everyone inferred that to mean they should quiet down.

"Hooray!" everyone whispered.

* * *

From where she was stashed, Blessing could've sworn she had heard her friends getting interrupted as they were shouting "HOORAY!"

_"Weavile is gonna get her butt kicked,"_ Blessing thought. _"There's no way I'm letting them have _all_ the fun, though. Let me at her!"_

In one swift maneuver, Blessing got to her feet. She managed to keep her balance as she hopped over to the door. Being tall enough to reach the doorknob, she crouched down and stuck her head-feather into the lock. She froze when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Ooh! What a cute dresser!" said someone Blessing instantly recognized as Sunflora. She resumed picking the lock. It was to no avail as her head-feather was too short to reach the locking mechanism.

"We don't have time to admire decorations," Loudred said, trying to keep as quiet as possible. Blessing, on the other hand, decided to go for broke by shouting as loud as she could to get Loudred and Sunflora's attention. Being gagged by a Rawst Scarf made the attempt unsuccessful.

_"Well, I told him before that he does a lot of talking without listening,"_ Blessing grumbled in her mind. _"He's getting a punch from me when I get out of here."_ She carefully maneuvered herself to try using her tail to pick the lock, as her tail feathers were longer than her short head-feather.

"HEY! Sunflora, there's a door behind your dresser!" Loudred shouted. He moved the dresser aside and looked in the keyhole.

_"Well, I take back that 'talking without listening' remark,"_ Blessing thought with great relief. It wasn't easy standing on her head, but she soon inserted her middle tail feather into the lock. The timing of this action was very inopportune, as her tail poked Loudred straight in his left eye.

"WHY YOU LITTLE—" Loudred shouted in pain. He charged at the door and broke it off its hinges, unintentionally bringing the door down on top of Blessing with a punch aimed at the doorknob. It was no Mega Punch, but it had power to it. "Try that trick again, you smarta—" Loudred cut himself off when he uncovered Blessing, who looked hurt. A round bruise was left on her rear end, from where the doorknob slammed into her thanks to him. She glared at him and shouted a muffled insult.

"Oh my gosh, you found Blessing!" Sunflora squeaked as she entered the closet. With carefully-focused Razor Leaves, Sunflora tried to slice the ropes keeping Blessing bound. As Demon-type creations could resist anything, Sunflora's attempt was fruitless. Loudred at least was able to remove the Rawst Scarf from Blessing's mouth.

"Thanks Loudred, for breaking my tailbone!" Blessing reprimanded. "I'm billing you for this! But thanks for saving me, though."

"Well, you're paying for EYEDROPS I'll have to get for taking a tail feather to the eye!" Loudred retorted. "Why didn't you use your head-feather?!"

"Easy," Blessing responded. "I'm a girl."

"Point taken," Loudred answered.

"Good work, Loudred," Pugno said, having entered the backstage area with Pelame and Sunflora in tow. Pugno gave Blessing a Max Elixir to restore her Move usage, and Pelame broke the ropes with a carefully aimed Crunch attack.

"And thanks, Sunflora, for letting us know," Pelame added after she freed Blessing. "We should get out of here before we get caught. Loudred, you carry Blessing."

Loudred begrudgingly did as told. They all bumped into a Sneasel who looked exactly like Blessing, all the way down to the nearly pitch-black skin. The other Sneasel looked as though she was about to sound an alarm, but she was quickly stopped.

"Aura Sphere!" Pugno shouted, landing a direct hit. Blessing used her strange power to lift the ropes that were binding her earlier and tied up the other Sneasel.

"Nice try, Ditto," Blessing taunted. "Still!" The Ditto masquerading as Blessing was instantly paralyzed, preventing her from turning back to her true gooey form. She was then gagged with the same Rawst Scarf that had earlier prevented Blessing from speaking. As a final touch, Loudred put the door back to normal, shut it, and then locked it. Pelame and Pugno then pushed the prop dresser in front of the door to keep it shut. "Now, don't you go anywhere!" Blessing taunted.

_"Welcome to the world of Pokémon!"_ a voice suddenly announced, signaling the start of the play.

"Leave this to me!" Blessing said. She opened a small Dimensional Hole underneath everyone, putting them in their theatre seats. "Ow! I really needed to feel that!" she shouted, having landed firmly on her injured rear.

"Hey, hey! You already found Blessing!" Corphish said. "That was fast."

"Is she hurt?" Grovyle asked. "I heard her yelp as soon as she landed in her seat."

"Speaking of seats," Loudred answered. "I kinda may have accidentally broke hers. Someone may want to go get something to relieve the pain."

"Heal Bell," Celebi said, using her healing power on Blessing. "All better?"

Blessing tried to stand up, but it pained her to try. "Nothing doing," she answered. "I guess you can't heal skeletal injuries."

_"—met a young boy who had mysteriously transformed into a Riolu! The young Riolu meets an ambitious young Eevee—"_

"I'll go get something for Blessing," Pelame said, getting up out of her seat and reentering the concession area.

"Bring back some FOOD too, will ya?!" Loudred demanded. Everyone's attention was then finally focused on the play.

_"Now, join us! A whole world of mystery and exploration awaits!"_

_(The Narrating Noctowl exits stage right. The lights dim, and then, a sudden flash of light.)_

_?: Whoa! Wh-wh-whoa…! Are…are you okay?!_

_?: No! Don't let go! Just a little longer… Come on! Hang on!_

_?: N-n-no! I can't… hold on…!_

_? and ?: Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!_

* * *

"I hope the others had better luck," said a Sableye soldier who was just leaving the employee break room.

"Hey, where is everyone?" asked the captain Sableye. "It sounds like the play started already. We'll have to wait for the intermission to resume our search. For now, we—"

"Whoa, Pelame!" said a Sableye who she almost knocked over in her hurry. "Running a marathon?"

"Blessing needs bandages," Pelame answered. "We found her stashed backstage, and Loudred broke her tailbone by accident while rescuing her."

"Wow, how clumsy of him," a Sableye responded. "Here's the Employee Break Room's First Aid Kit."

"This will do just fine," Pelame answered, relieved. "Let's take it to her."

"All right, I got the food for everyone," said a Sableye whose arms were full of food. "We ready to go report to Lord Dusknoir?"

"Yep, but we don't need to worry about Blessing any longer," answered the captain. "Loudred found her."

* * *

"Well, at least your Heal Bell could pass for a painkiller," Blessing whispered to Celebi.

At that moment, Pelame entered with the Sableye soldiers.

"Yummy! Dibs on the White Gummis!" Loudred said, catching sight of the copious amount of food in the arms of one of the soldiers.

"Here you go," said a Sableye, wrapping bandages on Blessing's rear end. Another soldier ripped a cushion out of another seat and hollowed out a hole in the middle. Another soldier lifted Blessing out of her seat to make room for the hollowed-out cushion, then put her back in her new seat. The soldiers settled into the row behind them, the captain taking the seat that lost its cushion.

"Are you comfortable, Blessing?" Pelame asked.

"Apart from feeling like I'm trapped in a toilet, yes," Blessing said. "By the way, you missed basically everything from the beginning. You and Pugno are about to join the Guild."

* * *

_Pelame: Oh? Our Team's name? We didn't think of that. So what do you think would be a good name for us, Pugno?_

_Pugno: You didn't even think of a Team name? Sheesh, I hope you're not going to become a handicap I constantly have to carry around._

* * *

Pugno shrunk into his chair as Pelame glanced at him with an annoyed look on her face.

* * *

_Pugno: How about Team Poképals? Since we're going to be making a few while training?_

_Pelame: That sounds great, Pugno! Then that's our Team name. It's a good name! It suits us!_

_(Pelame turned to face the Guildmaster.)_

_Pelame: Team Poképals is our Team name, sir!_

_Guildmaster Wigglytuff: All settled, then! I'll register your Team as Poképals._

_(The Guildmaster registered the new Team.)_

_GW: All registered! YOOM…TAH!_

_(A Hyper Voice signaled the finalization of the registration process.)_

* * *

"You weren't originally called Team Space-Time?" Grovyle asked.

"Nope, we weren't," Pugno answered. "I had almost forgotten about that."

"I recall when they changed the Team's name," Dusknoir said. "I suppose we'll be seeing that on the stage."

"Yeah, that was quite a day," Pelame added. "To think I'll be reliving it in the form of entertainment, as well as a ton of other—" At that moment, Pelame came to a dreadful thought. "Oooohhhhhh dear."

"What's wrong, Pelame?" Pugno asked.

Pelame simply pointed to Grovyle and Dusknoir.

"Is there a problem?" Dusknoir asked.

"Well, let's just keep it simple," Pelame answered. She opened her playbill. "You two aren't going to like Act Two. And Dusknoir, let's just say the rest of the play will bring back bad memories."

"Hey, speaking of the rest of the play," Pugno added. "Why does it end after Temporal Tower?"

* * *

The play had reached a particularly unpleasant spot.

"Chatot? Where are you going?" asked the Guildmaster.

"Oh… I just need some fresh air," Chatot answered.

"We're outside. You can get fresh air here."

"Yeah. But I… I need a break. I'll be back." Chatot left on that note.

* * *

_Chatot (in complete panic): Whaaaat? You failed?! Are you serious? Oh no! What am I going to do?! Seriously! What am I to do?!_

_Pelame (timidly): There was nothing we could do. You see, Skuntank and his…_

_Chatot (practically screaming): QUIET! I don't want to hear any excuses! You leave me no choice. For the time being, you'll go without dinner tonight!_

_Pelame (shocked): What?! B…but we…_

_Chatot: You failed to complete an important job! Your punishment could be much more severe! I don't want to hear anything from you! (Chatot turned away from Pelame and Pugno) You've saddled me with this terrible task! I've got to report this to the Guildmaster now! Upon my report, the Guildmaster is sure to… Waaaaaaaaah! (He turned back to Team Poképals) I will report this to the Guildmaster after dinner. You two will come with me when I do so. If I had to face the Guildmaster's wrath all by myself, well, that would hardly be fair. Therefore, you two will come with me! That's an order!_

* * *

"Ouch," Celebi said. "That's harsh."

"Hey, where did Chatot go?" Chimecho asked.

* * *

From backstage, observations were being made.

"Perfect," said Weavile. "Full house, as scheduled. The targets have taken the bait. The intermission is about to start."

"That's our cue, right?" Skuntank asked.

"Yes," Weavile answered. "Lock the theatre down. Make sure no one leaves."

"Consider it done, Lady Weavile." Skuntank and the rest of Team Skull and Team AWD were off to do their duty.

"Those fools make our job too easy," Weavile couldn't resist quipping to herself.

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**Grey Theatre – Spinach Rag Opera House (Final Fantasy VI)**

**Beginning of the Play – Explorers of Time and Darkness Anime Special Opening Theme**

**Registering the Team Name – Guildmaster Wigglytuff (PMDEoT/D/S)**

**Grey Theatre Lockdown – Unrest (Full Metal Alchemist 2003 Anime OST)**


	4. Chapter 4 - The Grey Theatre, Part Two

_In the last adventure, Team Space-Time and friends traveled to the Grey Theatre, where a play about Team Space-Time's adventures was to be performed. They quickly located Blessing and brought her to safety, just in time for the play. The play has entered its first intermission, at which point Teams AWD and Skull moved on with their mysterious plan._

* * *

Chapter 4 – The Grey Theatre, Part Two

* * *

"So far, so good," Pelame said to Chatot, whom they had located in the lobby. "It's been an entertaining watch so far. I had almost forgotten that this whole thing is a trap of some sort."

"To tell the truth," Pugno confessed. "I haven't seen anything suspicious yet. I mean, it's a bit uncanny that these actors are repeating verbatim what was actually said when those events actually happened to us. It's like they were there, but I don't think that has anything to do with some thug's plan."

"Well, that's a relief," Chatot said. "But, now that you two are here, may I ask you something?"

"Sure, ask away," Pelame said.

Chatot took a deep breath and looked at Pelame and Pugno with sadness in his eyes. "Do either of you two… resent me at all?"

Pelame and Pugno were taken aback by this question. Chatot was a dear friend of theirs; how could they possibly feel any resentment toward him?

"Sorry to answer your question with a question, but _how did you get that idea in your head_?" Pelame asked incredulously.

"You didn't need a play to remind you of…" Chatot said, unable to bring himself to finish his sentence.

"Wait, this is about the Perfect Apples incident, isn't it?" Pugno asked, which Chatot's body language (which implied pain) confirmed.

"Chatot, that was three-and-a-half years ago," Pelame said. "We still got to go on the Expedition, didn't we? We still solved the mystery of Fogbound Lake, right? And we made a new friend in Uxie, remember?"

"That's true…"

"Even if Pugno and I weren't chosen, we wouldn't have held that against you forever. We would have forgiven you regardless. Besides that, we have ever since the trip back from the Lake. We could never hate you over something like the incident with the Perfect Apples!"

"Pelame's right," Pugno added. "It's always been a joy working at the Guild. Working with you, Loudred, Sunflora, Bidoof, and the rest were some of the best times of our lives. And even if we had an iota of resentment toward you for that incident, what you did in the Brine Cave would have more than made up for it."

"You saved our lives at that moment. Only a friend would have done that. A real friend."

Taking in every word Pelame and Pugno had to say on the matter made Chatot feel moved. "Come to think of it, I was the one you came to for advice on Manaphy."

"Exactly," Pelame said. "Trust is a must."

"Then…" Without another word, Chatot embraced the two Pokémon standing before him. "I have no idea what I was so worried about. You two really are incredible. I'm sorry I ever doubted you."

"HEY! YOU WANNA MISS THE REST OF THE PLAY?!" Loudred demanded upon catching up to the three conversing Pokémon. "Get GOING! The intermission's OVER!"

"Be there in a sec," Pugno answered. He then turned back to Chatot. "Let's join the others. They've been waiting for you."

"I understand," Chatot responded. "Let's not miss any more of this play. And remember to keep an eye out for suspicious activity. This is a trap, after all."

"Understood," Pelame answered.

* * *

"Everyone ready to continue?" asked Weavile of the actors.

"Yes we are," answered a Ditto who transformed into Pelame. "On your signal, Lady Weavile."

"Just a moment," Weavile said. "Have we got the leverage?"

"Right here!"

A Ditto taking on Grovyle's form entered the backstage area carrying a bound and gagged Blessing.

"Leave her to me. The rest of you, take center stage and continue the performance. With the theatre locked down by the power the Leader lent us, no one is leaving. We have no fear of losing our target now. Now, continue the play."

"Yes, milady," responded the Ditto actors after transforming into their respective roles. The actors took center stage on Weavile's signal, as Weavile dragged the trussed-up Blessing further backstage.

* * *

"Dusknoir, you sure this isn't going to bother you at all?" Celebi asked. "You know what part of the story the play is at, after all."

"The past is finished, Celebi," Dusknoir answered. "It no longer concerns me."

"We've all made mistakes," Grovyle added. "By now, we've made up for them."

* * *

_(Pelame, Pugno, and Dusknoir are at the Treasure Town beach, discussing Pugno._

_Dusknoir: I see… so you found our friend unconscious right here._

_Pelame: Yes, right here exactly._

_Dusknoir: Then you regained consciousness. Though you'd lost your memory._

_Pugno: Yes. All I could remember was my name._

_Pelame: And that he was a human before this._

_Dusknoir (shocked): I beg your pardon?! H-human?! (He took another look at Pugno) But our friend here seems to be a Pokémon in every obvious way!_

_Pelame: That's true. I guess this is even beyond the great Dusknoir's understanding. But we're certain that something caused my partner's memory loss…and caused the transformation from human to Pokémon!_

_Dusknoir (pondering): A human… with the Dimensional Scream ability… You said you know your name, at least?_

_Pugno: Yes. I've never forgotten that my name is Pugno._

_Dusknoir: I see. So, you're Pugno._

_Pelame: Does that name mean anything to you?_

_Dusknoir: …No. It means nothing to me, unfortunately._

_Pugno: Dusknoir, sir. Are you… wait. Sorry, sir. I thought I saw you smile faintly._

_Dusknoir: I am sincerely sorry I couldn't help you with that… However… I do know about the ability that Pugno possesses._

* * *

"That smile of Dusknoir's was suspicious, now that I think about it," Pugno said. "He ignored what I said about it completely, and I guess it worked to his advantage, since we never knew about…" Pugno purposely trailed off so as not to upset Dusknoir, who wouldn't have been upset anyway.

"You were all pretty naïve back then," Blessing said. "Complete idiots, even."

"HEY! Shut up!" Loudred said, lightly punching Blessing in the shoulder. It was a light punch, but it caused her to fall out of her seat. Blessing got up and dusted herself off.

"Hey, how does it not hurt you to stand up?" Celebi asked.

"Just a moment," Pugno said. "Where's your Team Badge?"

Pelame then caught on to something that was missed until now. "IMPOSTER!" she screamed. She tackled the Pokémon to the ground. "Where is Blessing?!" she demanded.

"Lethargy!" shouted the imposter.

"Confuse Ray!" shouted Dusknoir, confusing the Blessing imposter before she could inflict Lethargy on Pelame. The imposter broke away from Pelame and ran for it, but her confusion caused her to run straight into a seat to her left. At that point, Grovyle pinned her to the seat.

"Where is she?!" he demanded. "Where are you keeping Blessing?!"

"Idiot!" shouted the imposter. "What makes you think I'll just tell you? Besides, Weavile has given her what she deserves, anyway."

* * *

"Gotta give you credit, you little interloper," Weavile said. "You're quite a bit of trouble. But your friends can't save you now."

"You think I can't save myself?" Blessing said, having burned the Rawst Scarf gagging her using fire from her breath. "Looks like you overlooked my moves." She then burned the ropes tying her.

"Heart Stopper!" Weavile shouted as she attempted to strike Blessing with lightning. Blessing easily dodged it by teleporting. "Don't think that just because you somehow ended up with the Dark Blessing that you stand a chance against me!"

"I don't need it to beat you!" Blessing retorted. "And thanks for letting me know what this power is called. Diabolic Inferno!" Blessing levitated as quickly as she could from the backstage area after trapping Weavile with dark fire.

* * *

Team Space-Time and crew dispersed to the lobby as soon as the real Blessing caught up to them. However, something prevented them from leaving.

"Leaving so soon?"

Weavile caught up in no time. She was flanked by Arbok and Drapion, who were followed by Team Skull.

"Aren't you going to see the rest of the show?" Skuntank asked. "We're about to get to the best part."

"You're right, Skuntank," Pugno said. "We've gotten there already."

"The best part," Pelame added. "The part where we foil your plan. Iron Tail!" Pelame rushed to attack Skuntank with her attack, which was blocked by the Ditto actor taking on Pelame's form.

"Foil our plan?" Weavile asked. "Sorry, but we've already succeeded."

Pelame was suddenly attacked by Grovyle.

"All of the other darling spectators of the troupe's performance have already joined us," Weavile explained. "But that's just the beginning. Grovyle is who we were really after, and now, thanks to you, he's in our clutches." She turned back to the Ditto taking on Dusknoir's form, who had Grovyle restrained. "Toss him in."

"Understood, Lady Weavile," said the actor Dusknoir as he traveled through a Dimensional Hole Weavile opened. It closed before anyone could give chase.

"Quite a fine actor this one is, huh?" Weavile taunted, patting the imposter Blessing on the head. "Her place-switch technique really saved our plan. Switching herself with the real Blessing was cunning enough, but switching the real Grovyle with the actor Grovyle just as things heated up was a stroke of evil genius. Grovyle is ours now."

"Why you…!" Pelame shouted as she got ready to attack.

"Lethargy!" Weavile shouted, afflicting everyone with the attack before anyone could act. "Now, we can cut you loose ends off." She opened a Dimensional Hole and went up to it, not entering yet. "Bring the place down. Follow me through this hole once it starts collapsing." With that Weavile left.

With Team Space-Time and friends afflicted with every known status ailment, they were utterly helpless.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do this to you," Skuntank taunted. On his signal, the crowd of Pokémon possessed by the mysterious "Dark Blessing" shot energy attacks everywhere, damaging the foundation and supports of the theatre. "Nice knowing you losers!" Skuntank and the crowd went through the Dimensional Hole and closed it, leaving Team Space-Time and friends behind in the collapsing theatre.

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**Reassuring Chatot – La Pace (Kingdom Hearts – Re:Chain of Memories)**

**The Grey Theatre's Jig is Up – Shitou (Digimon Adventure OST)**

**Grey Theatre Troupe's Departure and Grey Theatre's Collapse – Fortify (Full Metal Alchemist 2003 Anime OST)**


	5. Chapter 5 - Pitch Black Nightmare

_In Team Space-Time's last adventure, the trap in the Grey Theatre was revealed. A gang led by Team AWD's Weavile absconded with Grovyle, leaving Team Space-Time and their friends behind as the Grey Theatre collapsed. What is to become of Grovyle?_

* * *

Chapter 5 – Pitch Black Nightmare

* * *

Even though Grovyle's eyes were open, everything was completely dark. He was also unable to move, though that was the least of his worries. He hoped his friends got away from the Grey Theatre alive. Last he saw of them, they were left in the theatre lobby as it collapsed. As soon as his thoughts silenced themselves, he could hear someone talking.

"We've retrieved him," said the voice Grovyle knew was Weavile's. "We'll set everything up, sir."

Before he could listen any further, he felt something kick him in the head, knocking him out instantly.

* * *

Weavile's claws were in his face when he came to. Dark ice bound Grovyle's arms to the wall behind him, and his legs to the floor.

"Good morning," Weavile taunted. "Did you have a good sleep? I hope so, because this will be the last night you have such a good rest."

Even though he was bound by ice that he was weak against due to his Grass-typing, he made a futile attempt to lunge at Weavile. "What have you done to my friends?!" he demanded.

"Your friends? Why worry about them?"

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"Calm down. Don't stress yourself out. The Leader needs you to be in top shape, so shut up."

Deciding that words weren't having any effect on Weavile, Grovyle launched a Bullet Seed attack at her. Weavile was quick to counter it by catching every seed and throwing them back at him. She finished by freezing Grovyle's mouth shut.

"Bold one, aren't you, _Grovie_?" Weavile asked as obnoxiously as she could. "The Leader is on his way to meet you, so stay quiet until he arrives."

Weavile pried the ice from the wall and the floor, allowing her to drag Grovyle to the next room. A circle of Pokémon were in the next room, looking as though they had been waiting for him and their mysterious "leader." In the circle, Grovyle saw many familiar Pokémon. The Grey Theatre was small, so the entire audience was in the circle: Grovyle identified an Alakazam, a Togetic, a Gabite, a Raticate, a Vileplume, a Noctowl, the entire Ditto troupe acting on stage earlier, an Ariados, a Spiritomb, an Aggron, an Arbok (different from Weavile's teammate), a Magcargo, a Magmortar, a Mismagius, a Rhyperior, the members of Team Skull and the other two members of Team AWD. Weavile then joined the circle. From her spot, she thawed the ice keeping Grovyle rooted to the spot and silenced. A mysterious power forced him to stand up.

"Welcome, Grovyle," said Raticate.

"We've been expecting you," said Ariados.

"Remember, everyone," Weavile said, addressing the circle of Pokémon. "He is not to be allowed to escape the circle. He is to stay within that rune." She pointed to the floor, where there was a circle. In the middle of the circle was a snowflake-shaped sigil. "We are to keep him here until the Leader arrives. At that point, the Leader will deal with him."

"Understood," said the other Pokémon in the circle.

"I'd like to see all of you try to keep me here," Grovyle said confidently. "Your 'leader' will be disappointed in you."

"Ooh, sounds like he's challenging us," Skuntank said. "We're free to kick him around right, Lady Weavile?"

Skuntank was the first to be attacked by a sudden Leaf Blade. Unfortunately, Grovyle's offensive didn't get too far before the other Pokémon launched attacks at him.

"Yes, we can beat him up now," Weavile said with mild frustration in her voice. "Let me get the first hit in. None of you are hitting your mark."

Grovyle had dodged every attack thus far, until Weavile jumped into the fray and got him in the back with a Hyper Beam magnified by a strange dark power. Though it was a normal-type move, it felt as though it were super effective against him. As soon as he collapsed, she hit him with a Shadow Claw attack.

"Okay, your turn now," Weavile commanded. "I've softened him up for you."

Grovyle exposed that as a lie, as he was able to dodge the attacks coming from the other Pokémon. Even Weavile started to have trouble keeping up.

"A Demon-type Hyper Beam and a Demon-type Shadow Claw weren't enough to keep you down, I see," taunted Weavile. "Demon-type is super effective against all types, and it's such a joy to see how much pain you suffer from my attacks of that type!"

"It's doing you no good now!" Grovyle retorted as he pelted her with an Energy Ball. "Falling back on a made-up type is a cheap way to fight."

"Cheap? I'd say it's pragmatic!" Her Shadow Claw was blocked by Grovyle's Leaf Blade. He then blasted her face with a hail of Bullet Seeds, which he then turned on the other Pokémon. He saw a chance to escape and took it.

"STOP HIM!" Weavile screamed. "SOMEONE STOP HIM! **_HE WILL NOT ESCAPE_**!"

Grovyle was suddenly stopped by a mysterious power that made him unable to use his moves, and also immobilized him.

"That will do."

Grovyle was dragged back into the circle as soon as the unfamiliar voice spoke.

"But my top soldier Weavile is right; you will not escape."

The Pokémon forming the circle bowed immediately to the voice.

"Weavile, I congratulate you for capturing my target. I was right to give you the Grey Theatre mission. But you could have done a better job keeping our guest detained."

"My apologies, sir," Weavile said, sounding afraid. "But we've taken care of the other meddlers. Once Grovyle is dealt with, we'll have no further threats to the plan."

"Excellent. Then you don't need to be apologetic to me. You—"

"Who are you?!" Grovyle demanded. "What have you done to my friends?!" In a sudden movement, Grovyle snatched up Weavile. He had attempted to hold a Leaf Blade up to her neck, but he had lost the use of his moves. Realizing this, Grovyle put his left hand on her chin and his right hand on her head. "Tell me now, or I'll break her neck!" The other Pokémon in the circle got ready to make a move, but Grovyle held Weavile up in front of him, effectively using her as a shield. Weavile looked unimpressed.

"Nobody move," she ordered.

"TELL ME NOW!" Grovyle roared. He never got his answer. Instead, a Poison Jab hit him in the stomach, right on the green stripe on his belly. Weavile had taken advantage of the fact that Grovyle hadn't incapacitated the use of her arms, and used that moment to poison him. She then froze him to the floor with an Ice Beam magnified by her mysterious Demon-typing.

"Well, Grovyle, you've given me leverage. It's very far from your character to kill, or even try to. But that works out well for me. The Dark Blessing is going to enjoy you."

Weavile got back to bowing, as the enigmatic 'leader' appeared at last. The 'leader' was a pitch-black entity with a white plume coming out of his head. He had one visible blue eye, the other eye being covered by the white plume. A red necklace of what incompletely resembled fangs sat upon his collar. He floated, making it a bit strange that he had what appeared to be legs on his lower section. His shoulders had black tendril-like extensions to them. In the dark room, he was nearly invisible, but everyone was able to see him clearly, having been used to the dark.

"It knows how much trouble you are, just like I do," said the 'leader.' "It can't afford to keep you around. And I'm personally getting sick of you myself. Ever since you and Pugno met in the future, you were nothing but trouble to me."

Grovyle had the energy to ask, "How do you know Pugno and I?"

"Because you two sabotaged my plans for Temporal Tower."

Grovyle then remembered something about living in the paralyzed future.

"When I first made plans to save the world from Paralysis," he recalled. "Someone was following me, trying to stop me. Are you saying that was you?"

"It was," confirmed the 'leader.' "I, Darkrai, wasn't going to let you undo my work. I wasn't going to let you return light to the world, not to a world destined to fall to darkness! Pugno had interfered one last time before I lost track of him. If it wasn't for him, I would have killed you during your trip back in time. Pugno somehow avoided dying, but he became a Riolu. The transformation and the amnesia would have kept him out of my way if it weren't for that meddling brat Pelame. Thankfully, I've finally had them taken care of. So now, that just leaves you to deal with." Darkrai approached Grovyle and hovered over him. "And with you gone, no one will oppose me ever again."

Grovyle was absolutely livid to hear that his friends had been "dealt with." Summoning a hidden reserve of strength, he broke out of the ice freezing him to the ground.

"Sir, be careful!" Weavile advised. "Grovyle's Overgrow ability is going to be dangerous to you! Let me help you take him out!"

"Stand aside, Weavile!" Darkrai ordered. "His abilities don't scare me."

"They will," Grovyle said. He found that he had regained the use of his moves as he sliced at Darkrai with a Leaf Blade, scoring a direct hit on the fiend. Darkrai responded with a Dark Pulse that was magnified with Demon-type power. Grovyle was hit directly, giving Darkrai the chance to ruthlessly pelt him with a shower of Demon-type energy orbs. Grovyle couldn't move.

"Nothing to worry about," Darkrai taunted. "Grovyle, you see now how much stronger I have become? I owe it to the Dark Blessing. It gives me the power to triumph over anyone, no matter the type. No matter what type my opponent is, my new Demon-typing puts me at the advantage, and all others unable to deal any lasting damage to me. Before, I could only hide from you and your heroic brethren. But now, I can show myself to the world as I conquer it. I am no longer restricted to the subtle approach to world conquest, which was always doomed to begin with; I can now take the world by force. And with you and your friends gone, there's no possible way for me to fail. Face it, Grovyle; you have lost irrevocably."

Despite what Darkrai thought he had ensured, Grovyle wasn't down for the count. He had used Darkrai's monologue to make a hole in the tapestry covering a nearby window with his Bullet Seed attack, acting too quickly to be stopped by the observant minions.

"No, I haven't," Grovyle declared. "You may have defeated my friends and took them away from me, but there will always be a fighting chance. I will continue to resist you, and I won't stop until you're dead. And even if I should fail, there will be others to resist you, and take the world back from you. But as I am living and breathing now, I will do what I can to protect the world. No matter what happens,…" Grovyle exuded an aura that glowed a greenish-gold. He had gathered enough sunlight energy to generate a final attack. The leaf on his head glowed the same color, and pointed at Darkrai. "…you will never claim the world! SOLARBEAM!"

Grovyle unleashed his new attack from the leaf on his head, blasting Darkrai almost point-blank with it. As soon as the light faded, everyone saw as Darkrai was on the ground, defeated. His supporters didn't look worried at all about their leader's loss, and a cold sensation told Grovyle why. From the ground, Darkrai started speaking.

"Grovyle," Darkrai said. "You've become much stupider than I remember you being. I'm loathe to admit it, but you are stronger than I am, at the moment. But you're certainly not smarter. I thought you knew that cunning is what wins most battles."

A mass of Demon ice was starting to envelop Grovyle. "Wh…what is…?" he asked, horrified.

"You are stronger than me, and that's all I needed to truly win this fight. The Dark Blessing has entered you completely."

"How? When did…you…?" Grovyle was already frozen up to his chest now, and fatigue was setting in.

"For every single attack you dealt damage to me with, the Dark Blessing got further and further into you. It made first contact upon your Leaf Blade attack upon me that started our match. And for every hit I got in, same effect. And as soon as you finished me off, the Blessing finished assimilating into you."

"What…is it…going to…?" Grovyle's shoulders were now frozen.

"Thanks to your own heroic delusions, the Dark Blessing has successfully infiltrated your body, your heart, your mind, and your very soul. Your spirit, as they say. Put simply, it has seen fit to deal with you itself. You are now its newest prey. You will exist no more. Despite your rousing speech, you failed the whole world. I bid you good night, my former enemy. May you never bother me again."

"_Pugno…Pelame…"_ When the dark ice covered Grovyle completely, he thought no more.

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**The Leader's Plan for Grovyle – Holy Nightmare Co. (Kirby of the Stars Anime OST)**

**Grovyle's Solarbeam – Yuukan ni Tachimukazu zo! (Digimon Adventure 02 OST)**

**The Dark Blessing Takes Grovyle – Fifth Laboratory (Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood OST)**


	6. Chapter 6 - Team Temperature

_In the last adventure, Grovyle had been taken to an unknown area of the world by servants of a mysterious thug. The fiend turned out to be Darkrai, an old enemy of Team Space-Time's. After an intense struggle between the two, the "Dark Blessing" assimilated into Grovyle, and has dealt with him. Generally, things look completely hopeless, unless…_

* * *

Chapter 6 – Team Temperature

* * *

"EEEEEK!" Sunflora squealed, waking everyone up. As if on cue, every Guild member except the handicapped Blessing rushed to Sunflora's Crew Room.

"What's wrong?" Pelame asked. "Are you okay?"

"MY JOURNAL!" Sunflora screamed. "WHO DID IT?!" She glared at Loudred. "Why would you…?!"

"WHAT?!" Loudred defended. "I've never READ your dumb journal! I RESPECT privacy!"

"Suuuuure you do," taunted Blessing, who levitated into the room.

"No, REALLY, I do!" Loudred continued. "I've never read someone's journal!"

"Now, just a moment!" Chatot said. "Sunflora, what exactly happened to your journal?"

"Actually, it hasn't been damaged," Sunflora admitted. "So, it couldn't have been anyone here who did it. After all, who here can make an entire year's worth of journal entries completely vanish?'

"Why, that happened to my journal, too!" Bidoof added. "Golly, I know I wrote in it last year when… um… it was when…"

"What? Was there something happening last year?" Sunflora asked. "I remember writing in my journal, too, but I don't know what it was about. It's all a big blank."

"I've been blanking on last year's events, too," Blessing admitted. "I mean, I can remember the usual stuff like what missions I did and when, and I can also remember that my older sister Loyal died, but there are blank spots in my memory. I can't remember how Loyal died, I can't remember where I got my power from, none of that."

"Me neither," Celebi said.

"I'm not recalling anything about it, either," Dusknoir added. "And neither am I remembering anything about the Hidden Land disappearing. As with your cases, I remember the Hidden Land had disappeared. As for the cause, it's a gap in my memory. When I attempt to remember it, my memory simply skips it completely."

"Something happened last year," Pugno said. "Something important. And someone must not want us to remember it."

"Pugno, what are you saying?" Pelame asked. "Some Pokémon could be behind this?"

"It's just a theory," Pugno clarified. "But considering the Pokémon at the Grey Theatre yesterday, and their actions, that seems to be the most likely explanation."

"Oh, yes, that reminds me," Chimecho said. "How did we survive the Theatre collapsing on top of us?"

"That was our doing."

No one recognized the voice that made the announcement from atop the Guild's Entry Grate. The Guild crew reported outside to meet their mysterious rescuers. When they got outside, they were greeted by a pair of Infernape, one male and the other female.

"Pleasure to meet you all," said the male Infernape. "You can call me Fahrenheit. And this is my wife Celsius."

"Wait," Chatot said. "Did you say Fahrenheit and Celsius?" The two nodded. Chatot immediately shook their hands. "Everyone, meet Team Temperature, the famous criminal reformers!"

"And you three," Celsius said, looking at Pelame, Pugno, and the levitating Blessing. "You must be Team Space-Time. We're honored to meet you."

"Pleasure to meet you, too," Pelame responded. "And thanks for saving us."

"Actually, the one you should thank is our son for letting us know," Fahrenheit said. "He observed the fiendish Weavile talking with her cohorts about it, and then told us about it."

A Monferno stepped forward to greet Team Space-Time. When he saw Blessing, he did a double-take. Blessing reacted in much the same way, falling to the ground from her levitation spot in shock, and doubling over in pain from landing on her damaged rear.

"I remember you!" they both shouted in unison. Blessing resumed her levitating position after Celebi numbed the pain with her Heal Bell.

"You saved me from those thugs at the Beach Cave back when I was a Chimchar!"

"I saved you from Team Skull at the Beach Cave back when you were a Chimchar!"

Both of those excited statements came in unison.

"Well, I told you I'd return the favor," Monferno said confidently.

"And you certainly did," Blessing admitted. "Thanks."

"Yes, we owe our new friend our lives," Guildmaster Wigglytuff said.

"Pardon my ignorance," Pelame said. "But you two said you work in criminal reform. Could you tell us what that entails?"

"Certainly," Fahrenheit answered. "It's always a pleasure to share our line of work with others. We'll talk inside, if we may."

"Yes, you may," said the Guildmaster. "Our Guild is open to all Exploration Teams."

Everyone went back inside the Guild. Monferno stayed behind to speak to Blessing.

"Here, you don't need to waste your energy," he said to her. "I'll carry you."

"Well, if you insist," Blessing answered. She lowered herself into Monferno's arms. The two of them then followed the other Pokémon into the Guild's second subfloor.

* * *

"As you may know, our Team, Team Temperature, is made up entirely of reformed criminals," Celsius explained. "My husband and I apprehend a dangerous criminal, and extensively reform them. We put them to work, confine them in solitude, anything that works. It also depends on the severity of the crime; the worst criminals get a physical punishment directly from my husband and I."

"There's no criminal we haven't reformed," Fahrenheit added. "Any we get to becomes a contributing asset to the world, and to Team Temperature. As the great Guildmaster here once famously said during an Explorers' Holiday a decade ago, there's no such thing as a completely evil Pokémon."

"BULLS—"

Monferno put his hand over Blessing's mouth to keep her obscenity silent. "Sorry about that, dad."

"It's fine," Fahrenheit assured. "I see she's a rebellious one. Anyway, Pokémon go bad sometimes, but they never stay bad."

Blessing pulled Monferno's hand away from her mouth. "Oh, really?!" she contested. "Ever met Darkrai?!"

"Darkrai? Hey, hey! Didn't he disappear off the face of the world after Team Space-Time got through with him?" Corphish asked.

"So what if he did? That son of a bitch deserved worse than that!" Blessing cried. "How dare you say there's no such thing as a purely evil Pokémon?!"

"Blessing, that's enough," Chatot said.

"There _are_ purely evil Pokémon in the world!" Blessing continued. "And for you to say that there isn't is a lie! You two are deluding yourselves!"

"SILENCE!" Chatot squawked. "Rudeness to guests is _not_ tolerated, Blessing! One more word, and you're going without dinner!"

In response to that, Blessing opened a Dimensional Hole at the spot she was currently at. It deposited her to her bed.

"That's Blessing, a rather outspoken member of Team Space-Time," Chatot said apologetically. "She doesn't mean to offend, so please don't hold this against her."

"Don't worry," Celsius said. "We all have our ideas and philosophies."

"That's the girl who saved our son, huh?" Fahrenheit asked. "She's quite feisty. Very easy to mistake for an outlaw. But there's a reason behind any ideal. Son, would you like to speak to her?"

"Sure!" Monferno answered gleefully. He was off to Blessing's room in an instant.

"On to business," Celsius addressed. "We've heard Weavile's name mentioned as a conspirator in the Grey Theatre incident. She's the most recent addition to our list, so we're going to offer our assistance in retrieving the friend she is responsible for the disappearance of."

"That's right!" Celebi cried. "They abducted Grovyle! We have to save him!"

"Then that's what we'll do!" Fahrenheit agreed. "You have our cooperation."

"Son! Come along!" Celsius shouted toward Blessing's room. "We're embarking on a rescue mission!"

"You go on ahead!" Monferno shouted back. "I'll stay here and look after Blessing, like you just sent me here to do!"

"You sure you can look after her and the Guild all at once?" Chatot asked.

"Yes, I can!" Monferno answered. "Now get going! Grovyle needs you!"

"All right, then. And thanks!" Chatot then turned to the Guild Crew.

"Okay, everyone," said Guildmaster Wigglytuff. "We're going to rescue Grovyle! That is our new top priority!"

"And along with that," Chatot added. "We'll put a stop to whatever Weavile, her 'leader,' and those other thugs are planning! Now, let's move out!"

"HOORAY!" And with that, the Guild crew, joined by the two founders of Team Temperature, were off on their mission.


	7. Chapter 7 - Demon-Type Revolution

_In the last adventure, Team Space-Time, Celebi, Dusknoir, the Sableye soldiers, and the rest of the Guild crew came to, having been rescued by the founders of Team Temperature. The two criminal reformers offered their cooperation in a mission to locate Grovyle, wherever he is._

* * *

Chapter 7 – Demon-Type Revolution

* * *

"Seriously, I wonder why he doesn't just have a picture made of this," Blessing said, gesturing toward her bandages. "It'll last longer."

"So, Loudred and you are friends, in a way," Monferno replied. "It must be fun having such exchanges with him."

"But at least he knows what he's talking about sometimes. Seriously, though he does hardly any listening, he sure does talk a lot, and every now and then, he manages to speak of something profound. He's fooled by stuff sometimes, but never by such tripe concerning morality."

Monferno looked confused at that last statement. He gave Blessing some Sitrus Berry Soup despite that.

"'No such thing as pure evil,'" Blessing seethed. "Nothing…but **_TRIPE!"_** Practically screaming the last word, she threw her soup bowl down the Guild corridor.

"My parents believe that because—"

"Well, they're wrong! One hundred percent wrong! You hear me, Monferno?! Wrong! Wrong! **_WRONG! WR—"_** She made the mistake of standing up during her mad tirade, and as a result, strained herself and fell over.

"Blessing, don't strain yourself!" Monferno scolded. "You're still injured!"

The pain refused to subside, prompting Monferno to cook another serving of Sitrus Berry Soup. He mixed in a Sleep Seed as well. Serving it to Blessing served to calm her down and make her woozy after she drank it.

"I put a Sleep Seed in that soup," Monferno confessed. "You need to rest. You're too tense."

Blessing opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the proper words to say. Instead, she looked at Monferno with an apologetic expression. Monferno noticed that she looked as though she was ready to cry. She decided not to resist the Sleep Seed's effects any longer, and shut her eyes. She was asleep almost instantly.

"Sleep well, my rescuer," Monferno said, patting her head.

* * *

"Wouldn't it be just like them to not clean their mess up?" Pelame asked while helping the others search the rubble that was once the Grey Theatre.

"Well, it works out for us, right?" Pugno responded. "They left behind all their clues."

Pelame and Pugno got no farther in their search before they both started to feel dizzy. Everything went dark, and soon, Pelame saw Treasure Town being attacked by lots of Pokémon wielding a strange dark power. After her vision ended, she looked back in the direction of Treasure Town.

"That's a relief," she said, seeing no signs of a coup. "Treasure Town looks like it's safe for now."

"Wait a moment," Pugno said, shocked. "Did you see what I saw? I saw Treasure Town being attacked by a group of Pokémon using the same power we saw the Grey Theatre crew use on us."

"That's exactly what I saw!" Pelame answered.

"_Two_ Dimensional Screams at _once_?!" Celebi asked, astonished.

"Not only that, but they both saw the same vision," Dusknoir noted.

Fahrenheit and Celsius looked at each other, having come to an important thought about the two founders of Team Space-Time.

"If you don't mind me asking," Celsius started, addressing Pelame. "Did you always know you have the Dimensional Scream ability?"

"No, actually," Pelame answered. "I've never had a vision before we went to the Grey Theatre. But on the other hand, my friend Pugno has had that ability all his life."

"I've had my Dimensional Scream ability since the days I was a human," Pugno added.

"Human?!" Fahrenheit exclaimed. He had never been so surprised. "You were human once?!"

"Yes, I was," Pugno answered sincerely. "I don't remember much of it. I lost my memory when I became a Riolu."

"Grovyle, Dusknoir, and I can fill you in on some missing parts of Pugno's past," Celebi said to the pair of Infernape. "We knew him since then."

Fahrenheit and Celsius stared at Pugno for a few moments without saying a word. They were thinking of something, but they couldn't say it outright yet. They came to a decision at last.

"Listen, all of you," Fahrenheit said. "After we find your friend, we have something very important to share with all of you. But we can't do so yet."

"Why not?" Celebi asked.

"We just can't," Celsius answered on her husband's behalf. "But all we can say now is that it has to do with…" Celsius looked around as if looking out to see if they were being spied on. She walked over to Pelame and Pugno and knelt down to their ears. "…the Alpha Bloodline," she whispered.

"The Alph—" Celsius quickly covered Pelame and Pugno's mouths before they could get their question out. "YES!" she shouted while doing so. "Sorry," she said, removing her hands from Pelame and Pugno's mouths.

"We understand," Pugno said. "We can wait."

"It sounds important," Pelame added. "But I'll wait, too."

* * *

It had been three hours since everyone had left the Guild to search for Grovyle. At that time, Blessing had awakened from her sleep, while Monferno was busy making a proper dinner for the both of them. Blessing could smell the food, and she seemed to enjoy it. She identified the fragrances of a Black Gummi and a Clear Gummi. She could also smell the fragrance of a Big Apple being cooked, as well as that of an Oran Berry, a Sitrus Berry, and a Heal Seed. The smell of all those delicious foods blended together put a big smile on Blessing's face. She couldn't remember the last time she had such a dorky expression on her face. Monferno entered Blessing's Crew Room with the recipe after five minutes.

"How did you know Black and Clear Gummis are my two favorite foods?" Blessing asked.

"Just a lucky guess," Monferno answered. "I just assumed based on your being a Dark and Ice-type Pokémon. Looks like I was right."

Blessing happily drank the soup and ate the Gummi garnish. Soon after finishing her meal, her happiness faded and turned to sadness.

"This was…her favorite food," Blessing said. "Orus Soup. My parents would make it for me and her. It was a slice of Heaven, especially when garnished with Black Gummis and Clear Gummis. It was a special treat for special occasions, like birthdays, academic achievements, my return home, what have you."

"Whose favorite food was this besides yours?" Monferno asked, his curiosity piqued.

"My older sister's," Blessing answered solemnly.

Monferno was taken aback. He never heard of Blessing having an older sister.

"Rather, my late older sister's," Blessing corrected. Monferno was even more shocked to hear that development. He felt a twinge of sympathy for her upon hearing such a tragic confession. But she wasn't finished yet.

"She had always wanted to be part of an Exploration Team, ever since she saw a Teddiursa bullying a Togepi. She ended up being picked on herself, which was when I scared that hoodlum off. My sister wanted to do things that mattered to the world, following the example of many Explorers the world had known. Team Space-Time was just starting out by the time she came to that decision. Her desire to become an Explorer was always met with objections from me, since I got it in my head that she'd die if she ever joined an Exploration Team. I'd heard of enough Explorer deaths to fear the same would happen to her. And when Darkrai killed my mother for refusing to take part in his final plan of attack against Team Space-Time, that was when I started actively resisting her choice to be an Explorer. I figured that if Explorers couldn't save my mother's life, that they couldn't do anything right. To my chagrin, she finally joined Team Space-Time and took on the name Loyal. And not too long after that, she died, realizing my fears. I don't know who or what killed her, but all I know is that's why…" Blessing started to sob. "..That's why your parents are completely, 100% wrong when they say there's no such thing as pure evil!" Blessing was bawling at this point. "If there's really no such thing as pure evil, then why did Darkrai kill my mother just because she refused to help him kill Pelame, Pugno, and Cresselia?! Why did Loyal's mysterious murderer kill her, then?! Were they just misguided souls, too?!"

Monferno didn't know what to say to that query directly. "Blessing,…that's one of the saddest things I've ever heard…" was all he could say to comfort her.

"I'm sorry if I sound like I'm insulting your parents," Blessing said with a breaking voice. "But when stuff like that happens in the world, how can they believe that? You're their son, so don't you know?"

"Actually, I do," Monferno said. "I must admit, what you just told me right now makes me think my parents would have quite a hard time with the culprits you mentioned. Darkrai, and that other figure wouldn't be easy to reform, but they'd be able to do it. They can reform any criminal at all, but it isn't always easy for them to do."

To even her own surprise, Blessing was hanging on Monferno's every word.

"There are some extremely special cases where they would have to rely on a special power of theirs to reform a criminal. You see, there are some that won't listen to reason. For those criminals, they have to use a special ability that forces them to experience all the pain they inflicted on others. Only then will they see the error of their ways. In fact, my mother Celsius was subject to that before Team Temperature was founded."

That last part caught Blessing's attention. "Wait; your mother was a criminal?!"

"Yes, she was. She never killed anyone, but her attempts to do so earned her the wretched reputation she had about two decades ago. She was vicious; whenever she attempted to kill a Pokémon, she'd ensure the victim was crippled for life by the time the law caught up to her. She was never captured, until one day when an attempt to escape caused her to fall off a cliff. The officers chasing her thought she had died of the fall, so they left her be. That was when my father found her and took her to a temporary residence he had built near that area near Mount Travail. When she awoke, he told her that he had to take her to prison after she healed. She attacked him as a response to that, but she was overpowered. My father then used his special power on her, making her experience all the pain she had ever inflicted on others; she felt all the bone breaking, the flesh cutting, the bludgeoning, the near drowning, the burning, everything. Not a single thing was left out. The ordeal left her catatonic for three days. My father told me that it seemed as if she was shocked at the things she did. When she came to, the first thing she said was 'I'm so sorry.' She left for Treasure Town's police station and turned herself in. She actually even begged the judge to give her the execution sentence. She instead got sentenced to fifteen years in solitary confinement, which was when she reflected on her life. When she was released, she was a very different Pokémon altogether, unrecognizable as the fiend who crippled an innocent old Farfetch'd just for passing by her. She returned to the Infernape who had reformed her, and they were soon married. They both decided to start an Exploration Team that focused on reforming criminals, which is how Team Temperature came to be."

Blessing had a lot to think about after hearing this tale of Monferno's. She had once been just like Celsius; doing bad at one low point of her life, and then going good again.

"That's why they don't think there's such a thing as pure evil," Monferno continued. "My mother was bad once, but she saw the error of her ways, and turned into the role model she is now. Together, my parents helped turn the worst of Pokémon-kind into model citizens."

"I understand now," Blessing admitted. "There's a fine line between an act of petty wrongdoing and an act of evil. But it sounds as though it's the action itself that's evil, not the one who does it. Even the best of us have made mistakes. Look at Dusknoir; at one time, a servant to a corrupted Guardian of Time. But now, you'd never think that an upstanding moral figure like him ever had anything to do with such a creature as Primal Dialga. And even Primal Dialga wasn't evil; he was only misguided and brainwashed. I'm beginning to think that maybe Darkrai might not have entirely been himself. I can't really be certain of that, though, not until your parents turn that power…" Blessing then decided to address the Wailord in the room, and also to finish an Apple she had saved for her desert. "By the way, what is this power of your parents'?"

"Glad you asked," Monferno said proudly. "You see, my parents were given special divine powers to help protect the world with. They serve a special order known as the Alpha Bloodline."

Blessing nearly choked on her Apple in shock. "What did you just say?" she asked after coughing up the Apple slice.

"The Alpha Bloodline. My parents serve them."

* * *

"Go get yourselves some drinks," Weavile said to Arbok and Drapion, giving them both some money. "And remember to stay out of my way."

"Yes, Lady Weavile," said Arbok as he and Drapion both entered the Spinda Café.

"The rest of you," Weavile said to the Pokémon following her. "Shop around, chat with others, I don't care what you do, just keep away from me. Got it?" They all nodded. "All right, then."

Weavile entered Treasure Town while the other Pokémon with her scattered around and did as told. Per her instructions, they all kept away from her, which left her as the only customer for green Kecleon.

"Welcome to Kecleon Wares!" said the green Kecleon brother joyfully. "How may I serve you?"

"Blast Seeds," Weavile said. "All of them. That's all."

"Certainly," green Kecleon said, gathering up the entire stock of Blast Seeds. "Six Blast Seeds will be 180 Poké. Does this complete your order?"

Weavile simply stared at the clerk. After about ten seconds, Weavile suddenly wolfed down all six of the Blast Seeds.

"Excuse me," both Kecleon asserted. "You were supposed to pay for those first. 180 Poké."

Weavile reacted by swallowing the Blast Seeds.

* * *

"Then…then," Blessing stammered, remembering something. "Then you _did_ know the answer to Team Skull's question!"

"Of course I did. But I couldn't let them know that. Vital information about the Alpha Bloodline isn't to be known to the likes of those tainted by the Dark Blessing, like Team Skull."

"You know you'd have been sleeping with the Magikarps if I wasn't there to save you."

"I would take those secrets to my grave if I had to. Still, I am grateful to you for that save."

"But if the Alpha Bloodline is so full of forbidden secrets, why did you just tell me about some of it now?"

"Simple. It's because—"

An alarm sounded all throughout Treasure Town, cutting off Monferno's answer to Blessing's question.

"ATTENTION ALL CITIZENS! EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY! TREASURE TOWN IS UNDER ATTACK! REPEAT, TREASURE TOWN IS UNDER ATTACK! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! EVACUATE TOWN—"

Officer Magnezone was then interrupted by a familiar voice.

"Oh, no you whelps don't! You're all ours now! Treasure Town belongs to the Demon-types now! Stay put so I can mess you all up!"

"What's Weavile trying to pull now?!" Blessing demanded, levitating herself and flying out of the Guild.

"Blessing, wait!" Monferno called after her. "It's too dangerous!"

Blessing paid no attention to Monferno's warning. She arrived to find Treasure Town burning to a crisp. The citizens were evacuating as quickly as they could, as Weavile was attempting to prevent their escape. Blessing thwarted Weavile's attempt to pull Kangaskhan back into the burning town. However, the use of a Dark Blessing attack caused her to have to temporarily stop levitating.

"Look who it is," Weavile taunted. "The bratty Sneasel with the broken behind. Did you think you could levitate and attack at the same time? Because that's impossible, and you're stupid."

"You think I need to float in order to face you?" Blessing retorted, throwing a Demon Orb at Weavile, which was dodged quickly.

"Yes, actually. You're no good on the ground." Weavile conjured a group of four Demon Orbs and made them surround Blessing. The Orbs shot out small energy blasts at her. After that, the Orbs themselves collided with her. While that was going on, Weavile took that opportunity to snatch the green Kecleon clerk with Evil Threads generated from the tips of her claws. Once she got the clerk in her clutches, she advanced on Blessing and kicked her rear end, where the bandage was.

"I told you you're no good on the ground!" Weavile taunted triumphantly as she turned Blessing over onto her stomach and stomped on her injured backside. Blessing tried not to scream, hoping to deny her enemy the satisfaction of hearing such a thing. Weavile put her claws up to Kecleon's neck. "You could've been just like me, Blessing. If you had only stopped resisting the Dark Blessing's power, you'd enjoy the blood I am now going to spill on you!"

"Alpha Beam!"

The mysterious divine beam hit Weavile directly. Though Blessing and Kecleon were caught in the blast, they were completely unharmed.

"Sorry I'm late," Monferno said, rushing to Blessing's aid. "I would've been here sooner, but I had to deal with Team Skull blocking my path. By the way, nice shot, Mom."

"Thanks, my boy," Celsius said, having arrived with Team Space-Time and the rest of the group in tow. She then focused her attention on Weavile. "Causing trouble again, are you? I remember the days where you were nothing but a thief with standards. Now, you appear to have done away with those standards and have become a wannabe cold-blooded killer."

"Wannabe cold-blooded killer?" Weavile retorted. "That sounds good to me. I'd love to get your blood on my claws! In fact, every citizen of Treasure Town should fall to me!"

"Now, now, my Lady Weavile. There's no need for bloodlust."

Pelame and Pugno froze in horror at the familiarity of the voice that just spoke.

"Impossible…" Pugno whispered.

Blessing made a futile attempt to get to her feet in reaction to hearing the voice, which was familiar to her, too.

"Long time, no see, Team Space-Time."

The flames burning Treasure Town suddenly extinguished. When the smoke cleared, a familiar figure was in front of the group. A figure Pelame and Pugno hoped to have seen the last of.

"Trying to conquer the world again, Darkrai?" Pelame seethed. "I see you're not taking a covert method anymore. What's wrong? Did you finally realize that subtlety will fail you if you tried that again?"

"And furthermore," Pugno added. "You were to have lost your memories. You evidently cheated your way out of that, too."

"Indeed," Darkrai admitted. "Although I never suffered amnesia to begin with. All Palkia's attack did was slow me down. But the Dark Blessing renewed my strength as soon as I discovered it a year ago. With this new power, I no longer have to fear being chased. And speaking of chases, where's your friend Cresselia? She didn't die on you, did she?"

"Actually," Blessing started. "The only one here who will die is you!" Blessing lashed out, having wanted to do this for years. "This will be nothing compared to what my mother will do to you when you meet her in the hereafter!" Unfortunately, her Demon-magnified Guillotine attack didn't connect. In response, Darkrai launched an energy wave that blew apart Treasure Town.

"Do you see now the power of the Dark Blessing?!" he demanded. "This is the power the world will be ruled by. The power of the Demon-type!"

"Alpha Warp!" Fahrenheit shouted. In the blink of an eye, Team Space-Time and friends were out of Darkrai's sight.

"Cowards," Weavile mused. "Well, my Leader, shall we make this town ours?"

"We shall," Darkrai answered. "And by the way, the group of Pokémon that just fled from us are the only Pokémon you have my permission to kill. We can't afford to take any chances with them. While I reconstruct this town to make it a monument for what's to come, track them down and do away with them."

"With pleasure, sir."

* * *

**Suggested music for this chapter:**

**Two Simultaneous Dimensional Screams – Just Wondering (Kingdom Hearts – Re:Chain of Memories)**

**Blessing and Monferno Confide – Missing You (Kingdom Hearts II)**

**Evacuation Warning – Danger (Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - Gates to Infinity)**

**Treasure Town Attacked – Event: Madness (Sonic Adventure 2)**


End file.
